[0:00] Well let's turn in our Bibles to the passage of Scripture which we read. The book of Isaiah. Prophecies of Isaiah I should say.
[0:11] Chapter 9. And let us read again and concentrate that God would help us on verse 6. Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6.
[0:25] For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder.
[0:40] And his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
[0:50] Isn't it amazing to have this verse, these two verses of prophecy, amongst a prediction of wrath and judgment to come.
[1:06] We read about it. The groom that was to soon cast over the people of Israel. And yet, in the midst of it, there's wonderful, wonderful prophecy.
[1:20] There was judgment upon judgment to come. But God had not and refused to forget the great blessing that was eventually to come upon Israel by bringing forth his son.
[1:34] The saviour, not just of Israel, but of the whole world. Now, if ever a Christian truth was abused and distorted, surely it is the truth about the incarnation of the second person of the Godhead.
[1:57] The birth of Jesus Christ. How it is abused. How it is distorted. How it is misunderstood completely in this world.
[2:07] But what does that mean? That does not mean we ignore it. That does not mean we don't pretend it's going on. It means we should correct it and emphasize the truth about the incarnation of Christ.
[2:26] How Satan would love if we never mention one word about the greatest miracle the world has ever seen.
[2:39] So as God would help us, let us look at this prophecy. Let us look at this miracle. Under three headings.
[2:50] I'll begin with the letter M. The miracle itself. The mission. And thirdly, the message. The miracle. The mission.
[3:01] The message. Of these prophetic words. In Isaiah 9.6. The miracle itself. Now, two chapters previously.
[3:12] Two pages back. In chapter 7. Verse 14. We're categorically told. A virgin. The virgin shall conceive.
[3:25] And bring forth. And bear a son. And the vision will be called Emmanuel. A virgin. Born of a virgin.
[3:35] Is Christ. It's quoted in Matthew chapter 1. Verse 23. In the genealogy of Christ. A miracle.
[3:48] What is a miracle? It's actually a very difficult thing to define a miracle. We could say, of course, a suspension of the normal laws of nature.
[4:02] The virgin birth. Unique. But Jesus was not a peculiar being in that sense.
[4:17] Jesus was not even, as is often said, 50% man, 50% human, and 50% divine. It's not that yet.
[4:28] He's actually 100% a human being. And 100% God. Jesus, you see, was not a new person that didn't exist.
[4:45] Or a new being or a new animal. He was the person of God. The second person of God. Now with a human nature.
[4:59] The mystery of Christ is two natures in one person. The mystery of God is one nature.
[5:12] Three persons. It's a mystery. We can't get our head around it. You see, I find it very confusing. That's fine. It's exactly what it is to our poor human minds.
[5:23] God. The mystery of God. One nature in three persons. But the mystery of Jesus is two persons.
[5:35] It's only two natures in one person. That's the mystery of Christ. Now, this verse speaks about the humanity of Christ.
[5:47] The two natures. The humanity of Christ and the divinity of Christ. And to us, a child is born. Speaking of his humanity.
[6:01] You know, Jesus is the only person who ever chose to be born. No one chooses to be born. Christ chose to be born into this world.
[6:19] And this child that is born, he's as it were, he's presented to us as the second person of the Godhead.
[6:31] And my point is this. A saviour has come into the world. And he was never asked for. We've been saved.
[6:46] We've been delivered. And no one sent a cry to heaven for a saviour. I find that amazing. I find it amazing.
[6:59] You'll hear, in Atman's Dornery especially, and you'll hear it in towns and cities, sirens going off. Either the fire service or an ambulance.
[7:13] And you say, oh, someone must have sent for an ambulance. Not a Christ. The saviour who came into this world for a rescue package as it were to save the world.
[7:29] He was never requested. Never asked for. God took the initiative. He sent him forth into the world.
[7:41] Without a request, it came from below for one. I find that amazing. Unto us, a child is born.
[7:52] Unto us, a son is given. Now this is speaking of his divinity. A son is given. It doesn't say a child is given who will be a son.
[8:08] It was a son before he was given. There are people, professing Christians, who claim that Jesus was not a son until he was born.
[8:23] But that's not what this verse is teaching. A son was given to us. He wasn't given to us and therefore became a son. He was a son before he was given to us.
[8:37] God gave us his son. Now here is what we must remember. When the Father gave us the son, he was not parting with the son.
[8:52] He was sharing the son with us. He was sharing the son with us. He's still the son.
[9:03] He's still God. He didn't lay aside his divinity. But he did take human nature.
[9:18] Now, I said, let's look at the miracle of the incarnation. What is the miracle of the incarnation?
[9:33] It isn't really the physics of a virgin birth. Oh, that's a miracle, sure. That's not the miracle of the incarnation. That's not why the incarnation is the greatest miracle of the world to their own.
[9:49] It's not the mechanics involved in producing a virgin birth. That's not the miracle.
[10:01] The miracle is not how there was a virgin birth. The miracle is why there was a virgin birth.
[10:11] Why did God become man? And that really is the relevance of our children's life.
[10:27] Why did God become one of us? We are what? How does the Bible describe us at one point?
[10:38] Worms of the dust. And in Psalm 22, I gather another messianic psalm.
[10:49] We have him to be copied. But as for me, a worm I am. And as no man I am proud.
[11:00] That's the humiliation of Christ's incarnation. He was prepared to become a worm of the dust like us.
[11:12] That's the miracle. That's the miracle. And you know, have you ever heard of a church that had no problems, no difficulties with its members?
[11:29] Has there ever been a church that had no difficulty with its members? And you ask, why did God put up with us? Why does he bother with us?
[11:42] That's the miracle. That's the miracle. That is the miracle. God was prepared to go through all that was involved in sending his son to pray for our salvation.
[11:57] And even after we're converted, after we're regenerated, after we're heirs of heaven, joint heirs with Christ, we still cause trouble.
[12:12] We still need to be sanctified. We still need to become Christ-like. And you say, why does God bother with us?
[12:25] That's the miracle. That's the miracle of the incarnation. Why God was so determined to send his son to become one of us.
[12:36] That he might renew us. That he might save us. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
[12:47] So that whoever would believe upon him would not perish. But I've ever lost my life. The miracle. Secondly, the mission.
[13:02] What was his mission? Well, as we mentioned before, a rescue package for humankind. A rescue package for the human race.
[13:15] That's the mission. The government shall be upon his shoulders. What is the task of Christianity?
[13:27] What is the task Christ came to achieve? It is to win over, not his friends, but his enemies.
[13:39] That's why Christ came. To make enemies the closest of friends. In that verse I quoted two chapters further back in 714.
[13:56] His name shall be called Emmanuel. Which means God with us. He wanted to be with us.
[14:07] And that's an illustration of the incarnation.
[14:17] A little child in a playpen. And the grandfather steps over and goes into the playpen to be with the baby.
[14:32] To help him. But it's not really like every other illustration. There is no perfect illustration. Only in one or two degrees or elements is it a useful illustration.
[14:47] There is no perfect illustration of the incarnation. No perfect illustration of salvation. Only certain elements can be wonderfully illustrated by human examples.
[14:58] But you see, it's not the picture of an old man coming into a playpen with a baby. It's like an old man coming into a playpen with a ferocious pit bull terrier.
[15:13] Not a lovely, bouncing, happy, harmless baby. But with a ferocious pit bull terrier. As is demonstrated by how Christ left his man.
[15:25] He came into the world. He came to his own. His own wouldn't have him. His own crucifixion.
[15:36] That's the picture. Well, he's to win them over. How does he win them over?
[15:48] How does he win over his people? How does he win over his people? He told them about a Danish king. And he was looking for a wife.
[16:03] But he could not find her. But there was a peasant girl whom he did love. But she was a peasant.
[16:14] and she would of course never marry a king. But he wanted to woo her. So he said, how can I do it?
[16:25] Oh, he said, I'm a king. I'm a king. I have enacted a decree. And she managed it. I've got the power.
[16:37] I've got the authority. Ah, but then he thought, wait. I want her to love me. I want her to love me.
[16:49] That will make her love me. That will be me forcing her to do it against her will. I want her to love me. How can I make her love me?
[17:01] Ah, this is my house. I'll dress up in my royal guard. I'll put on my medals.
[17:13] I'll get my sword. And I'll ride it up white steed. And then she'll fall for me. Then she'll fall for me. Ah, does any thought?
[17:26] No. It's my guard she loved. It's my white horse. It's my, it's my garment she loved. I want her to love me.
[17:38] What can I do to make her love me? I said, ah, I'll just guard myself as a peasant.
[17:53] And she'll think I'm one of them. I'll just wear a peasant's clothes. I'll do a peasant's work. And I'll just look at one of them and do what they do.
[18:04] Ah, but then he said, that wouldn't be real. That wouldn't be true. It would be hypocrisy. There's only one way.
[18:16] There's only one way. And he said, that is if I become a peasant. A peasant. I'll have to really become one.
[18:28] And not just dress up like one. I'll have to become one. But this, you see, is what? The task is, how does Christ win over this people?
[18:45] So that they're not forced to become a Christian. If you think that Christianity or Calvinism is God twisting your arm to become a Christian, you've misunderstood it completely.
[19:00] Our regeneration is not God forcing us to do certain things. Our regeneration is God giving us a new heart. So that we begin to desire the things of God.
[19:17] He wins over our hearts. He wins over our wills. So that we really want the things of God. I often try to tell the story.
[19:30] I tell the story. You can be made to do things. You can be made to go to church. You can be made to read the Bible. But you've got to know it.
[19:42] You've got to watch it. You've got to really desire it. That's the task. And that's what God had to do with us. And I send his son into the world.
[19:55] It was to win over our hearts, our minds, our wills. So that we desire these things. And not forced to do them. To make us willing to be, as it were, the best friends of God and Christ.
[20:14] And as he would do so, he did not use certain weapons. He can't use force.
[20:25] He can't use a sword. He can't use force, violence, or anything. What are his weapons? Truth. Truth. You've to win them over by truth.
[20:38] In reality, you see, that's where the Danish king, what do you realize? It's not truth that I just dress up as one. Or that I dress up in royal garbs.
[20:51] Christ is to win his people over. God is to win his people over. By really, by truth. Not by falsehood.
[21:03] Not by bluffing them. By truth. Really creating a new heart within them. He's to win them over by righteousness. Not by unrighteousness.
[21:16] There must be nothing, nothing, nothing. Wrong or not according to the law. His weapons, the weapons to be used in the conversion of people. Truth, righteousness, love.
[21:30] The gospel. God so loved you are. He went to the depths of making, giving his son so that his son could become one of us.
[21:48] The miracle. The mission. Now the message. The message of the gospel. On earth, goodwill toward men.
[22:04] And that is, on earth, goodwill toward men from heaven. Do you know why there's a war on earth?
[22:16] Do you know why nations cannot get on to each other? Do you know why there's violence and warfare horizontal throughout the world?
[22:31] Because there's war vertically with God. We will never have peace on earth. Horizontally.
[22:44] Unless and until there's peace vertically with God. It starts with God.
[22:54] It starts with our relationship with God. We'll never get it right with one another until we get it right with God.
[23:07] Get it right with God first and foremost. And then we can seriously talk about getting it right with one another. No peace on earth.
[23:18] No peace on earth. No peace on earth. Unless there's first peace in heaven or within. But now that Christ has come.
[23:31] Now that Christ has really become human. There's peace on earth. Peace on earth from heaven.
[23:43] There's peace with God. There's two kinds. We speak of the peace of God. One is peace with God. Now that we have to start that there's warfare with God.
[23:58] There is also of course the peace of God. God's peace. The peace which God has. That can also as a result belong to Christians.
[24:12] We can have God's peace within us. And you remember Christ himself said peace. I leave with you. God's peace.
[24:22] My peace I give to you. Not just as I said with peace in the two senses. Peace with God. But there's also the peace of God.
[24:34] Which only Christ gave you. Are you here? I mean if I could just get peace in my life.
[24:45] Peace in my heart. What you need is the peace of God. What you need is God's peace within you. You can only get that from Christ.
[24:57] Christ said my peace I leave with you. So we can have peace with God. And we can have the peace of God within us.
[25:12] In within us. So that when we go about our earthly business. Our earthly life. We've got peace. Our apple cart may be shattered.
[25:25] Our plans may be torrent to flesh. But you still have the peace of God. Our Christ.
[25:37] That's the great thing about being a Christian. Really. The Christian should have no life. Things we should be anxious about.
[25:49] Concerned about. Most definitely the Christian has. Of responsibilities. But the Christian should always be possessed with this. Nothing has gone wrong.
[26:03] Nothing's gone wrong. When a huge calamity comes into our lives. I was shattered. We can't believe what's happening.
[26:16] There's perfect peace in heaven. Peace in heaven. Nothing's disturbed in heaven. Who disturbed on earth. But if we have the peace of God with us.
[26:28] We should never panic. We should never panic. God's peace. My peace. I give unto you.
[26:40] So that whatever happens. We can have this inner peace. That strengthens and stabilises us. In the things.
[26:54] The peace of God. Is peace. In the midst of turmoil. Peace. Peace.
[27:06] When there's trouble around. That's the peace of God. And that's. The peace which Christ. Gives as a gift. To every Christian. Which is trusting in heaven.
[27:17] But we need to exercise it. We need. You remember. The disciples in the boat. When they thought they were drowning. You rebuked them. Where's your faith?
[27:29] You've got faith. Kick started into action. Nothing goes wrong. Nothing is wrong. If you obey Christ. Well.
[27:41] Of the increase. Of the government. The next verse is. Of the increase. Of his government.
[27:52] And peace. There will be no end. What's been said there. That is a reference.
[28:04] Not simply. To the permanency. Of the kingdom of Christ. But to the. Continual. Expansion.
[28:15] Of it. It's important. It's important to remember. It's not just. A small. Remnant. Forever. But that small.
[28:26] Remnant. Will be growing. Will be expanding. Throughout the earth. Of the increase. Of his government. Of the increase.
[28:39] Of his government. His control. Of the whole earth. His government. His monarchy. Every event. In the world. His control.
[28:50] Of it. Will be increasing. Increasing. And. You know. It is increasing. However things. May appear. Globally.
[29:01] The kingdom. Of Christ. Is expanding. Yes. There will be communities here. Small islands. There. Little towns. Where it may be getting smaller.
[29:13] But globally. The big picture. Of Christ's government. Christ's running of the earth. That will continually expand.
[29:24] That's what we've been told here. I don't know about you. But I often find myself. Lord. Oh. You want the kingdom to grow. Why did you do that?
[29:36] Why did you allow that to happen? That if you're kingdom. Well government is going to increase. But you see. We need to learn to trust God. And leave the running of the universe to him.
[29:49] Think of the people of John Banyan's day. When he was put in prison. The greatest preacher. He lived at the time of John Owen. Who you know was the greatest. One of the greatest intellects.
[30:01] The country's ever known. He was vice president of Oxford University. Wasn't he? But he said. I will do that all my learning.
[30:12] If I could just preach like the tinker. John Banyan. What does God do? He puts him in prison. How many years?
[30:24] You see. Well. I must be thinking. What the best preacher there is. Why do you do that? Why do you want to expand your kingdom?
[30:36] What was the result? What was the result of John Banyan's? Prison. Imprisonment. He wrote the pilgrim's progress. And still converted people.
[30:50] Far more converts. From his prison ministry. Of writing that book. And other books. Than he had when he was preaching around Bedford. God's days are not the old days.
[31:03] You remember when. The Boxer riots. Was it in China? Christian. Missionaries. Forbidden to go in. How many? Well. We won't remember it.
[31:14] We were never reading about it. Surely. Some of us. You see. God's stopping. Missionaries. Going into. China. With millions and millions.
[31:27] What's he doing? Why did he allow it? Well. You see. The church went underground. And now. We're told. From good reliable sources. There are more.
[31:38] Christians. Christians. In China. In the underground church. More Christians. In China. Where it's forbidden. To go. As a missionary. In many places.
[31:51] Than there are people. In the United Kingdom. Over 50. To 60. Million. Christians. In China. Were told. And he thought.
[32:02] God didn't know. What he was doing. And he allowed that. To happen. But it's all starting. With this.
[32:14] Stephen. The persecution. That surrounded Stephen. Drawed the Christians away. But they took the gospel. With them. And that's why the gospel. It's. Began to spread.
[32:26] For. Through persecution. God's ways. Are not our ways. And we need to trust him. And appreciate this.
[32:37] This. Peace. Which he gives. Well. Just two things. In conclusion. The whole purpose. The whole purpose. Of the incarnation. Is that we.
[32:48] See God. Through. His son. Through Christ. That. Is the whole purpose. Because Jesus.
[32:59] Himself. He. He. That sees. Me. Sees. The father. You want to see God. And a long.
[33:12] Good Christ. A long. Good Christ. If you want to see God. That's the purpose. That we might learn. More.
[33:22] Of God. And finally. This verse. Six. Unto us. A child is born. Unto us. A son is given. The governor.
[33:33] Is named. We call this. The wonderful. Counselor. Mighty God. Ever asked. And father. Prince of peace. It's a prophecy. It's a prophecy.
[33:44] But it's in the present tense. It's a prophecy. But it's in the present tense. Why? Why? Because it's so certain.
[33:58] That's why it's in the present tense. And it. It often happens in the Hebrew. And something is absolutely certain. You see it in the present tense. Isn't that wonderful? It was.
[34:09] That. These words were suddenly. Like 740 years. Before. Christ. Came. And it's no longer a prophecy. It's a fact. In fact.
[34:20] It's history. And everything in the world. Every prophecy in the world. Will soon be history. And a lot.
[34:31] Lots of it. They're given in the present tense. Because it's so certain. It's so certain. A saviour. Will come into the world.
[34:42] 4,000 years. Since that first promise. In the garden of Eden. But it came. It's true. It's real. May God be true.
[34:53] And every man alive. Everything that's written. Mountains may depart. The hills may be removed. But the word of the Lord. Endures forever.
[35:04] Ever. So let's rejoice. In this promise. And that we can see God. Through Christ. But unto us. A child is born.
[35:15] Unto us. A son is born. And the government. Where we have come. His. Children. May God. The Holy Spirit.
[35:26] Make his work. His truth. Effectual. To everyone. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven. We pray.
[35:37] That you give us. Your Holy Spirit. So that. We would be united. By faith. Into this. Child. That you have given to us. This son.
[35:48] Lord. We thank you for him. May our hope. Be in him. Be with us. Eternal God. We humbly pray. Keep us in your love.
[35:59] Keep us in your fear. For we pray all. Along with the forgiveness of our many sins. In Christ Jesus. Amen.